I'm using a tall mountain in the far distance as a marker for when to make a turn. As soon as it disappears from a side window in the cockpit I know it's time to make a turn. Is there a map that shows mountains and how high they are?

4 hours ago, Matt Sdeel said:

I'm using a tall mountain in the far distance as a marker for when to make a turn. As soon as it disappears from a side window in the cockpit I know it's time to make a turn. Is there a map that shows mountains and how high they are?

Yes. A VFR chart would do this. Presumably if it is that close to the airport an approach plate will as well. Much like your other thread today, knowing the airport in question would be helpful. 

Edited October 6, 2025Oct 6 by MrNuke

6 hours ago, MrNuke said:

Yes. A VFR chart would do this. Presumably if it is that close to the airport an approach plate will as well. Much like your other thread today, knowing the airport in question would be helpful. 

This mountain (as seen from KSQL in California):

Edited October 7, 2025Oct 7 by Matt Sdeel

My guess is that is probably Mount Diablo given the direction. For SQL given that is on the other side of the bay it isn't very relevant aviation wise. But again to your map question, this is an RNAV approach plate for SQL that has the terrain heights near the airport https://aeronav.faa.gov/d-tpp/2510/09219RY30.PDF

And the SFO sectional that has the same for terrain and obstructions. https://skyvector.com/?ll=37.51185006382698,-122.24954223278024&chart=301&zoom=1

6 hours ago, MrNuke said:

My guess is that is probably Mount Diablo given the direction.

Is there a map or document that would definitively identify far away peaks and mountains?

The problem with sectionals is that it's very detailed and difficult for me to use.

This thread has been dormant for a while, but hopefully it's still relevant.

Sectionals are definitely the way to go for navigation by reference to visual landmarks - also known as pilotage. If you're having a hard time with this, don't worry - it is hard.

I wouldn't recommend using a far-away mountain as a visual reference, for multiple reasons. The mountain might be so far away that it is not even on the same sectional chart as your present position. You'll want to refer to the sectional in flight, so you'll want to fold it to a convenient size - this means that the mountain may not be on the piece of sectional that's in view. Finally, you may end up doing the flight on a hazy day, with a visibility of only say ten miles or less, and you simply won't be able to see the mountain.

So, instead, it's preferable to use visual references that are close by. If you're departing from KSQL, an obvious candidate is the bay and the bridges that cross it, the cities that surround it, and the highways that circle it. As far as visual references go, you can't get much better than the bay - it's impossible to miss or misidentify. Things get much harder if you're flying inland in a flat rural area that has only fields and small villages with little else in the way of landmarks.

Edited November 19, 2025Nov 19 by martinboehme

Link to an article I wrote a couple years ago about planning and flying the Long Cross County in a C-152.

Although it covers all aspects of the planning and actual sim flight, it compares planned checkpoints as shown on the Sectional Chart to what is seen outside the aircraft.

Hopefully this may be of some use to the readers of this thread.

https://www.flightsim.com/forums/topic/58525-long-cross-country-solo-in-a-c152/#comment-305504